Prismatic

Prismatic was my first independent project after leaving my position as Creative Director at Autofuss and Google in 2015. It has begun as a proof‑of‑concept animatic for a larger, practical set I am currently developing. Soon though it took life on its own as a self-standing animation I am happy to share with you here.

I designed the space to create an illusion of never-ending stage while using a set only a few paces across. Drawing inspiration from children’s kaleidoscopes, I created a system of large mirrors and lights, infinitely illuminating and reflecting one another. The lights themselves were then carefully sequenced and choreographed to the sound of EDM glitch-hop track composed by acclaimed demoscene musician, h0ffman.

Rendered using a custom-built QubaVR stereoscopic capture and stitching rig, Prismatic is an audio-visual treat, that will make you feel present in its colorful, abstract, virtual environment.

For those you on mobile devices, Google Cardboard and native YouTube App will be the best bet. Keep reading below for other ways to experience this video on your platform of choice.

Photosensitive epilepsy warning

Prismatic features strobing lights, flashing high-contrast colors and potentially disorienting visuals. If you have history of photosensitive epilepsy or experience discomfort, dizziness, nausea or headache, please turn it off as soon as possible. The rest of you – enjoy the (light) show.

Buy it on Steam, Watch it Online

Here are a few options for watching Prismatic online. All should work on both mobile and desktop.

360° Stills

Unlike flat photos, VR stills faithfully represent a slice of their original source, allowing viewers to experience a micro-moment of the larger piece. Like the film itself, you may view it dragging with your mouse or finger to look around.

2D Autopan version

If all these steps above seem complicated, well… unfortunately they are. At the moment there does not exist a single method of publishing 360° VR content in a way that would maintain both high quality and compatibility with all operating systems, devices and viewers out there.

For those of you willing to sacrifice depth perception, interactivity, and immersiveness – for the sake of convenience, I rendered a two-dimensional autopan version of the video – recorded using a virtual camera placed inside the VR environment and simulating viewer’s gaze. It is my least preferred way of experiencing Prismatic, but may work best for some.

The making of Prismatic

Don’t forget to check out The Making of Prismatic article for more information on my creative process, in-depth details on tricks and techniques used in creating this piece, as well as some findings, observations and lessons learned producing this piece.

Special thanks to ChiChiLand for help with color sequencing and /u/eVRydayVR for advice and expertise in output formats and compression.